"India needs vaccines that are 'Made for India"

With a legacy of over 75 years in pioneering advancements with their vaccines within the Indian pharmaceutical landscape, Mumbai-based Novo Medi Sciences (Novo Group) has been instrumental in introducing many first-of-itskind vaccines in India, playing a vital role in public health and setting standards in healthcare quality and accessibility.

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The company is all set to launch new vaccines in the country, further strengthening the innovation landscape for vaccine R&D. Forum Bhagat, Managing Director of Novo Medi Sciences (Novo Group) spoke to BioSpectrum about the company's present and future plans. Edited excerpts:

What were the key highlights of the company in 2024? What are the major plans in store for 2025?

In 2024, we continued to expand our mission, considering that we must cater to critical healthcare challenges with innovative solutions. One of our recent key achievements, guided by the principles of our founder and my grandfather, late Ramesh C Bhagat, was the reintroduction of NEXICLOX DS 250mg, a trusted Cloxacillin syrup formulation.

This move addresses the dire need for effective treatments against critical infections like skin and soft tissue infections (SSTIs), osteomyelitis, respiratory tract infections (RTIs), and Endocarditis within the paediatric community. Initially launched in 1965, Cloxacillin is the gold-standard penicillin that was discontinued in the Indian pharmaceutical market for over 25 years. The rise of multi-drug resistance (MDR) has rendered many current combination molecules ineffective against susceptible Staphylococcus infections. Consequently, the medical fraternity emphasised the need for 'old is gold' standard molecules like Cloxacillin, which offers a lower likelihood of resistance due to its limited use in recent years.

By reintroducing NEXICLOX DS 250mg, we aim to provide healthcare professionals with a reliable and effective solution for treating critical infections in children, effective against MDR methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus Aureus (MSSA) and has a low resistance risk with a proven safety profile.